Impa
Impa is a Sheikah from Hyrule and the Head of Security of the Portal Breach Stock Pot Inn. Appearance Possessing red eyes, white hair in a short ponytail, long, pointed ears, and medium-fair skin, Impa stands taller than the average citizen of Hyrule at roughly 5'8". Most of the time, she wears a relatively form-fitting outfit complete with light armor which consists of silver-grey upper body plate armor, navy shoulder plates, dark blue shorts, navy boots, navy gauntlets, and a black connected collar that serves as armor for both her neck and upper sternum. Imprinted on her collar is the emblem of the Sheikah, a symbol which resembles an eye with a single tear falling from it and three triangles above it. Attached to the base of the back of her armor is a sheath which holds Impa's main weapon, the kodachi-like Sheikah Blade. History Year 0 As the loyal protector of Princess Zelda, Impa was reportedly the only remaining Sheikah left in Hyrule. She was a great asset to the Royal Family and has sworn to protect Princess Zelda, and that continues to this day in much the same capacity on the Breach. After Link talked with Princess Zelda, Impa appeared, taught him "Zelda's Lullaby," and helped him get out of Hyrule Castle. She also explained to Link that he should go to Kakariko Village, a former Sheikah town where she was born and raised, which she opened to non-Sheikah. Prior to the events of Ocarina of Time, Impa sealed the evil spirit Bongo Bongo in the bottom of the Well of Three Features. When Ganondorf attacked Hyrule Castle Town, Impa helped Princess Zelda escape on a white horse, and the princess threw the Ocarina of Time to Link. During this time, Impa taught Zelda the ways of the Sheikah so that she could hide herself from Ganondorf as Sheik. Once Link awakened from having been sealed inside the Temple of Light for seven years, he set out from the Sacred Realm on his quest to help save Hyrule and gain the power he would need to defeat Ganondorf. His adventures landed him back in Kakariko Village where he eventually defeated Bongo Bongo, the boss of the Shadow Temple, by effect awakening Impa as the Sage of Shadow. She added her power to Link's by giving him the Shadow Medallion. All Seven Sages aided Link in his final battle, sealing away Ganon inside the Sacred Realm. With time turned back and set on the proper course in Hyrule, Impa continued to look after Princess Zelda whilst still being set to act as the Sage of Shadow when needed. That continued up to the day she was brought to the Breach. Year 1 After Link returned the Master Sword to its pedestal, thus turning time back for good, he made haste to reunite with Princess Zelda. Their reunion soon helped carry the news of Ganondorf's planned treachery, thus leading to the hunt for him and his subsequent arrest. Around this, once everything was safe, the Hero of Time continued to have some quests and adventures on his own as well as with the friends he'd made on his journey – Impa being one of them. Before too long, he set out to reunite with his fairy Navi, and while he wound up in Termina, Impa continued to help watch over Hyrule. The shadow of Termina's moon heralded her own arrival on the Breach however, as a portal that was supposed to take her to the Chamber of Sages instead landed her in a strange, new world. Once she got her bearings, she met with a Keaton from Termina who helped get her situated. From there, since she learned she could not leave this place, she set about to learn as much as she could about this world. That decision in turn became a few month adventure where the Sheikah explored not only the captial city, but also each of the outlying regions. In doing this, not only was she able to better grip the news she had had to take, but she was also able to become familar with this land regardless of any of the maps she acquired. This journey would prove very handy for all of her future quests and adventures. Sometime after Impa returned to the city for a longer spell, she felt an evil presence out in the Daemon Wastes. Although she was still weakened from her arrival here, she set out to investigate it, at which point she got to see firsthand just what darkness had started to infect this new world around her arrival. With a group of unexpected allies, they bested the beast of the sands and even managed to convince a Djinn to join them provided they had a way to give it a home. Thankfully, Impa still had an empty bottle on her person, and was thus able to hold onto it. That would prove crucial in the battle to come. As summer arrived, the battle with Mister Dark came to a head. All parties converged on Castle Dark and were set to take on the fiend, but the arrogant gambit of a certain succubus in their ranks cost them one of their own in the form of Kev. Before Mister Dark could bring harm to the rest of the party, Impa used the djinn's magic to imbue everyone's attacks with the power of gold – their opponent's one weakness. Between their assault, a cleverly hatched gold box, her own sealing powers, and Jackle's added chance to hide the box, the battle was won. As the dust and sky cleared, not only was Impa glad to see that this source of evil had been vanquished, she herself had an unexpected reunion. She had heard in passing that Link, the Hero of Time from her own world, had been whisked away to the Breach, and now she was finally able to meet with him. Link proceeded to lead Impa back to his room at the Stock Pot Inn where the two spent a good deal of time catching up. They confirmed that they were from roughly the same point in time after Hyrule had been saved, and around learning of Link's unintended arrival in Termina, Impa soon eased the boy's mind about the fate of Hyrule from when he himself had first been whisked away. Around one of their early visits, they set out for the library to see what more they could learn about Hyrule and anything on the Breach, at which point Link was reminded about Aicara, a young Sheikah that he wanted to introduce Impa to, and Shaeld, the alternate version of Kafei from Termina. With this idea presented, the two set off for the graveyard. Once Impa and Link arrived in the forest, not only did they find the boy's two friends, they also discovered that the Shadow Temple from Hyrule had been whisked away to the Breach as well. Curious about the temple held by her own Kakariko Village, Impa asked if the others would not mind investigating the temple with her. Shaeld went ahead, soon finding a mischievous poe, but no sooner had they made their way into the first chamber than did things go awry. Two wallmasters dropped down, one depositing Shaeld outside of the entrance, and another taking Aicara deeper into the dungeon. Without hesitation, Impa and Link sprang into action, making their way across the chasm to hurry and save Aicara. Between the duo's familiarity with the dungeon and Impa's own abilities as the Sage of Shadow, they were able to spring through it and resuce the young girl, just outside the ferry. Their trip had proven that Bongo Bongo was alive once more and lurking in the boss' chamber, so Impa set forth to seal him away for good. With Link accompanying her and Aicara waiting at the top of the chamber, the two jumped down to defeat the Phantom Shadow Beast just as they had each done before. Despite Impa's currently dampened power and Link not having regained all of his strength yet, the two defeated Bongo Bongo, thus cleansing the Shadow Temple once and for all. A few weeks later, Impa finally set about getting herself a room at the Stock Pot Inn, and with that came her much delayed chance to meet the Link from the future, the Hero of Winds. The Sheikah and young hero made fast friends with each other, something that would eventually lead to Link becoming one of Impa's charges, and they soon found themselves talking at length well past the initial room acquisition. From the differences between their two times to similarities that remained throughout history, to their own adventures and their own respective Princess Zeldas, the two had but the first of very many conversations, and it was soon determined that it was a very good thing that Link had placed Impa in the room just above his. A few days after Impa got her room and had started making it her own, the Sheikah thought of something that would make both her and the younger Link's homes feel even more like theirs back in Hyrule: Lon Lon Cows. Knowing that the Breach had a way of bringing more than just people and places to it, the two set out on a quest to find a pair of cows from their homeworld. After battling a myriad of monsters from Hyrule across the grasslands and down in an underground tunnel network, the two finally found and fought Queen Gohma herself. *On A Boat *Zelda's Arrival/The Princess' Decision to Remain as Sheik *First New Holidays Year 2 *Prelude to the Reformat *The Reformat *Zelda's Reveal to Wind Waker Link *Summer *The Phazon Crisis *Halloween *New Security at the Stock Pot Inn *Kev's Holiday Visit to the Inn *Christmas and the New Year Preparations *Fading Memories Year 3 *The Castle That Never Was and Link's Return *Lights Out *The Cursed Springs *Adapting to the Curses * Adventuring with Meta Knight and Vanquishing Nightmare *Lifting the Curses *Tetra's Arrival *Helping Tetra Settle In *Shopping for Tetra *Zelda's Reveal to Tetra *End of Year Holidays Year 4 *Tetra's First Valentine's Day *Raising Kev's Barn *Tetra's First Summer on the Breach *Tetra's Official Job Title at the Stock Pot Inn *Winter Holidays Year 5 *New Year *Valentine's Day Once More *Getting Ready for Summer Personality Impa has a kind albeit somewhat stoic personality. She is fiercely loyal to Princess Zelda and takes on a serious demeanor when she herself is in battle or when something threatens the princess's safety. Given her instincts and training, her guard is always up, athough this is not always immediately obvious, even with her generally calm air. Outside of battle, she can come off as a bit intimidating when one first meets her, but provided they are not on her bad side, her kind, watchful nature soon becomes evident, and it seems to be more present the more she trusts someone. Having become the guardian figure not only for Zelda, but also for Tetra, Link, and Link, Impa could very easily qualify as the Mother Bear trope. She knows that all four of her charges are all very capable of taking care of themselves, but she always keeps a watchful eye out for them. Abilities Impa is very skilled at armed and unarmed combat, and whilst she favors her Sheikah Blade for the latter, she is profiecient with most weapons. Impa is not only an expert fighter, she is also a master of stealth, possessing both ninja-like abilities and an uncanny prowess at moving undetected. Stemming from this, she is adept at using Deku Nuts to produce a blinding flash, enabling her to quickly disappear without a trace. Impa also possesses a Sheikah skill known as the Eyes of Truth, something that acts much like the Sheikah artifact, the Lens of Truth. Normally a benign ability that gives her excellent insight to the truth in people's words as well as the actuality of objects in her surroundings, Impa is able to focus this and see things that might otherwise go unseen. Since awakening as the Sage of Shadow, Impa's already powerful magic has grown (especially over shadows), including the gain of defensive maneuvers where she is able to manipulate shadows to her will. Her full power as the Sage of Shadow has been realized, but even with that and her mastery of combat and stealth, she still trains often to keep her skills sharp. Relationships ''Family Link64 - The boy from the forest has grown from a close friend and ally to one of Impa's charges in this new world. Link and Impa shared many adventures together back in Hyrule before he left for Termina, and the two have continued to do so here. She sees the particularly special bond that he shares with Zelda and is all too happy to encourage it. Just as with Zelda, Tetra, and the older Link, she glad that he has fallen under her wing. Tetra - As the Princess Zelda from the future, between their own newfound relationship here as well as a bond that transcended time, Tetra became one of Impa's charges not too long after her arrival. Regardless of the pirate captain's numerous similarities with her ancestor, she and the Sheikah have become very close. Tetra might be the newest of their group here, but she already has her own place. Wind Waker Link - One of her dear charges. The older Link might be from one of Hyrule's futures, but that time difference has not affected the strong bond that they have forged on the Breach. Impa is glad that she was swept to the Breach if for no other reason than to meet the Hero of Winds, and to see him strengthen his own friendships with Tetra, Zelda, and the younger Link. Zelda/Sheik - Her original charge, and one close enough to be her daughter. Impa has cared for Zelda ever since she was a baby, and has seen to help raise her the best she can, both back in their own timeline as well as now that Zelda is learning how to be Sheik once again. She knows that the disguised princess is very powerful and capable, both for her own magic as well as everything she has taught her regarding the ways of the Sheikah, and she does not feel that she could have asked for a better charge. Close Friends Aicara - Aicara might not live in the city, but she has still effectively become a charge of the Sage of Shadow. Impa was not only happy to meet another Sheikah on the Breach, but was honored to be able to help train Aicara both in magic and in the skills of their people. She cares very much for the young girl and tries to visit her out by the Shadow Temple whenever she can. Chell - Regardless of the fact that Impa was the first person Chell met on the Breach, the two have since formed a close friendship. Even with their different worlds, the two have bonded over various things, including both their inherent toughness and fondness for puzzles. The former test subject might not be too keen on technology, but given the world the Hyruleans hail from and their own natures, she has found a comfortable niche right by them. Kev - The Kryptonistanian is a very good friend of Impa's, and one that she is happy to have grown and be growing closer to. She truly likes and respects him for his inner strength, she always appreciates his kind nature, and she is happy to know that he always has her back. All the same, whether times are rough or not, the Sheikah is always there to help him through anything. Lawrence - A close friend of Impa's, and one of her oldest ones since her arrival on the Breach. The two struck up an unlikely friendship considering the differences of their respective worlds and histories, and now it is an unbreakable bond. Friends'' Ariana Lee - The two met randomly on the beach one day and have since become friends. Living at the Stock Pot Inn helps in the two of them being able to catch each other from time to time, and Impa is always set to help Ariana prepare herself for any adventures. Barney Calhoun - A fellow soldier and good friend, Barney and Impa wound up meeting each other in passing numerous times before truly getting to know each other. If either needs a good ear to listen to or a drinking buddy, they each have a kindred spirit in the inn. Jo Pistonne - Impa mostly got to meet Jo indirectly at first from Lawrence and Zurg, but is nevertheless always glad to see the mechanic. Nightwing - Impa saw the potential within this young hero the night they first met properly and, at his request, has since helped him spar from time to time. She knows that he is a very capable teen and looks forward to seeing him grow. Washu Hakubi - Washu and Impa met randomly in the Sanctuary one evening, at which point the two fellow researchers became fast friends. Washu has since given Impa one of her trademark puppets that serves as a quick transport to her lab. Zurg - Impa might not be as close to Zurg as she is Lawrence, but she and the monarch have still become friends. Be it exchanging items, working together towards a common goal, or anything else, she is always happy to help him. Quotes "You are heading out on a big, new adventure, aren't you?" Trivia *Impa is supposedly the last remaining Sheikah in Hyrule. *Kakariko Village, Impa's hometown, was originally a Sheikah Village, but she opened it up to everyone. *Once Sheikah hit their mid-20s, their aging process slows down drastically. Impa's appearance has not changed in nearly a decade and will remain the same for at least a century. That stands regardless of the chance to not age on the Breach. Gallery Notes Category:Canon Characters Category:Characters